The ball and socket joint of the human shoulder provides for free movement of the arm. The area of contact between the various bones in the shoulder is minimal and the shoulder joint is dependent upon the surrounding muscles, and to a lesser extent ligaments, tendons and fibrocartilage, for its integrity and functionality. The muscular and bone composition of the shoulder is the subject of extensive medical study and while a more detailed discussion of the anatomy of the shoulder is not necessary for the purposes here, such a discussion can be found in most basic human anatomy books. Because of its construction, the shoulder joint is capable of flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, rotation and circumduction movement. Also because of its construction, the shoulder joint is susceptible to a great number of injuries.
Injuries are commonplace in various activities that require constant motion of the shoulder joint or subject the shoulder to stress. For example, the overhand throwing motion used in baseball is an unnatural motion that can cause shoulder muscle strains or tears, including injury to the deep rotator muscles or "rotator cuff" of the shoulder and arm. Participants in contact sports such as rugby and football often suffer shoulder injuries, e.g., dislocation of the ball and socket joint, as well. Once an injury to the shoulder area has occurred, it is frequently necessary to support the joint area to both facilitate the convalescing process in certain situations, and minimize discomfort due to the injury. Additionally, it is advantageous to provide support to the shoulder area to help prevent shoulder injuries to individuals who are particularly susceptible to such injuries.
There are a number of braces and harnesses known in the art that alleviate pressure on various points of the shoulder joint. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,944 issued to Christen discloses a shoulder harness that prevents damage to the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the shoulder area and also provides support to prevent dislocation of the shoulder. The shoulder harness disclosed in the Christen Patent, however, severely restricts the movement of the upper arm with respect to the shoulder, thereby restricting the movement of the ball and socket joint. Most existing braces are cumbersome and difficult for a wearer to put on, particularly because of the shoulder injury. Most known braces and harnesses also neither allow the wearer to increase or decrease the amount of support around the area of the shoulder, nor are capable of being adjusted to conform to the particular body size of the wearer.
Additionally, because of the minimal impact and natural resistance that an aqueous environment provides, it is often preferable to undertake certain conditioning and rehabilitative exercise and training in water, e.g., swimming pool. Most existing shoulder braces, however, cannot be worn in the water because they include metal straps or buckles and cloth or leather materials that are subject to deterioration.
It should thus be apparent that existing shoulder braces and harnesses have inherent disadvantages that necessarily limit their use and functionality.
It is therefore desirable and an object of the present invention to provide a shoulder brace that serves both rehabilitative and preventive functions and provides support for the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the shoulder area without restricting the free movement of the arm. It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoulder brace that lessens the possibility of straining, overstretching or tearing the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the shoulder and upper arm area.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shoulder brace that lessens the possibility of dislocation of the shoulder ball and socket joint while permitting a full range of movement. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a shoulder brace which can not only be adjusted to the physique of the individual wearer, but also can be adjusted so as to increase or decrease the amount of support around the shoulder area.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a shoulder harness which can be worn underneath clothing or athletic equipment, e.g., football or hockey shoulder pads, without interference or discomfort. And it is still another object of the present invention to provide a shoulder brace that can be worn in the water without absorbing the water into the brace material thereby avoiding any increase in the weight of the brace and without modifying its therapeutic, rehabilitative or support function and further without causing damage or deterioration to the brace.